After my last post we managed to get to a train station and book tickets to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. So, here we are. Brittany finally got her salwar kameezes from the tailor, and they look great. Then we hopped a train to Agra. After getting off we were immediately bombarded by touts who we had to be vicious towards to get them to leave us alone. One auto driver saw that we carried the India-travel-bible The Lonely Planet guide and recommended one of the hotels in it. He offered to be our driver for the day, much to our benefit as it meant we had a driver in waiting and saved money on auto fees, plus he served as a good guide.
VK is a Muslim family man, clean shaven, wearing a polo shirt and slacks. He is obviously hard working and has an on-hand log of testimonials by other people he has been a driver for. In India, scams are prevalent, and best avoided by never paying for anything in advance. VK showed signs of honesty and also allowed me to pay him the last minute. Everyone here wants your money, and you would think they've never been turned down as disappointed as they look when you walk into a shop and don't buy anything. "Just looking" doesn't really translate here as every shop owner has a lengthy presentation in an attempt to make a sale. We looked at sitars, marble (the real deal, quite nice), and fine rugs all while anticipating the grand finale of seeing the Taj Mahal (we might have gone first, but VK advised that the later afternoon was best as the heat isn't so bad [you must walk barefoot in the Taj] and it looks best closer to sunset, this proved to be invaluable advice).
After turning down jewelry, sitars, marble, and rugs (which usually ranged well above Rs5000/$130USD) we finally made it to the Taj Mahal. Waiting in line wasn't too long, although it would have been more bearable had the street merchants (and by that I means kids with pens and key chains) people claiming to get you to the front of the line at a ridiculous fee left me alone. Alas, no amount of rudeness dampens the Indian desperation to sell, but stern ignoring seems to do the trick with most.
Was the Taj Mahal as glorious as they say it is? Absolutely. My dad went on an Alaskan cruise for his honeymoon and came back talking about how glaciers are kind of plain in pictures, but in real life they are magnificent and beautiful, and even his pictures (admittedly) did little to capture their beauty. And yes, the Taj Mahal is just like this, as majestic and glorious as historians have claimed it is. It looks bigger than the pictures and the intricate marble work is overwhelming. No picture could accurately show how the sun glistens off the side of the dome, or the marble work, in its detail, is divine (not literally, unless you're Muslim). Beauty is an understatement, though, I doubt few, if any, words could tell you just what the Taj Mahal is. I was content to sit on a bench, a prime view, and watch the Taj as the sun sank.
Agra is a Muslim hotspot, and I've found most Muslims to be more honest and friendly than the Hindus. I think their religions calls for honesty and so they tend to be more dependable. I know Muslims get a bad rap in America, but here in India they tend to be good people.
Yesterday, while shopping a Seihk (sp?) was asking about me. Personal questions are common in India, and I'm more than happy to chat, but things are quite different here. Bush is very frowned upon as he is blaming the food and gas problems on India and China. It seems every day there is something in the paper about how Americans eat too much or how the American lavishness is running up cost of everything. It's not that India and China aren't partially responsible for the increase in prices, yet there's something to their accusations. Brittany and I married young for Americans, but in India it is usually a slightly older man and a very young woman (however, the 16 years olds getting married in America greatly disturbs most Indians, but I assure them it's not very acceptable in America either). Having no kids after a year and a half of marriage is really disturbing to Indians, and they speculate that we aren't happy, not having sex, and/or infertile. If you haven't had kids something must be wrong with you, and there is no explaining of it being normal in America.
Most Indians just assume we are rich since we had the money to be here and because we are big people (meaning we have much to eat), and in a sense we are very rich. When we don't buy something we like because of money, most of them are shocked because most Americans who come through their stores have the money to buy anything they like. Of course, there's the other end of the spectrum where several hippies and backpackers come here, but they don't hit up shops. So, I suppose we're somewhere between.
It is taking time to get used to some of the customs. Where we tilt our head to the side or bobble it for uncertainty, it's a "yes" here. Then you never hand or receive something with your left hand, as they don't use toilet paper in India. There is no such thing as cell phone etiquette. Talk as loud as you want. No one here takes initiative. If it's not their job, it won't get done. Need change, but the clerks drawer is out? Too bad, they wouldn't ask a neighboring clerk to hook them up.
We had dinner at our hotel, where we met some fellow Americans and chatted for a bit. Rumors of Rajasthan excite me (we leave for it tomorrow morning). I'm sure to avoid the "bang" lassi (lassi is a delicious yogurt drink, bang refers to hash), but am excited about the blue city of Jodhpur (sp?) and Udaipur.
I believe that those of you who are not Facebook users may access my pictures via this link. Once again, if it doesn't work either get Facebook or simply e-mail me at cowardmATgmailDOTcom (replace the AT and DOT with the appropriate symbols, I cannot post it here for risk of spam). Brittany says I added crappy pictures, and I probably did as I could only view them by the thumb nail and was in a hurry. Still the Beetlenut pictures are priceless. I can't add the Taj pictures just yet, but I will first chance I get. Also, these posts should now be importing to my Facebook Notes.
VK is a Muslim family man, clean shaven, wearing a polo shirt and slacks. He is obviously hard working and has an on-hand log of testimonials by other people he has been a driver for. In India, scams are prevalent, and best avoided by never paying for anything in advance. VK showed signs of honesty and also allowed me to pay him the last minute. Everyone here wants your money, and you would think they've never been turned down as disappointed as they look when you walk into a shop and don't buy anything. "Just looking" doesn't really translate here as every shop owner has a lengthy presentation in an attempt to make a sale. We looked at sitars, marble (the real deal, quite nice), and fine rugs all while anticipating the grand finale of seeing the Taj Mahal (we might have gone first, but VK advised that the later afternoon was best as the heat isn't so bad [you must walk barefoot in the Taj] and it looks best closer to sunset, this proved to be invaluable advice).
After turning down jewelry, sitars, marble, and rugs (which usually ranged well above Rs5000/$130USD) we finally made it to the Taj Mahal. Waiting in line wasn't too long, although it would have been more bearable had the street merchants (and by that I means kids with pens and key chains) people claiming to get you to the front of the line at a ridiculous fee left me alone. Alas, no amount of rudeness dampens the Indian desperation to sell, but stern ignoring seems to do the trick with most.
Was the Taj Mahal as glorious as they say it is? Absolutely. My dad went on an Alaskan cruise for his honeymoon and came back talking about how glaciers are kind of plain in pictures, but in real life they are magnificent and beautiful, and even his pictures (admittedly) did little to capture their beauty. And yes, the Taj Mahal is just like this, as majestic and glorious as historians have claimed it is. It looks bigger than the pictures and the intricate marble work is overwhelming. No picture could accurately show how the sun glistens off the side of the dome, or the marble work, in its detail, is divine (not literally, unless you're Muslim). Beauty is an understatement, though, I doubt few, if any, words could tell you just what the Taj Mahal is. I was content to sit on a bench, a prime view, and watch the Taj as the sun sank.
Agra is a Muslim hotspot, and I've found most Muslims to be more honest and friendly than the Hindus. I think their religions calls for honesty and so they tend to be more dependable. I know Muslims get a bad rap in America, but here in India they tend to be good people.
Yesterday, while shopping a Seihk (sp?) was asking about me. Personal questions are common in India, and I'm more than happy to chat, but things are quite different here. Bush is very frowned upon as he is blaming the food and gas problems on India and China. It seems every day there is something in the paper about how Americans eat too much or how the American lavishness is running up cost of everything. It's not that India and China aren't partially responsible for the increase in prices, yet there's something to their accusations. Brittany and I married young for Americans, but in India it is usually a slightly older man and a very young woman (however, the 16 years olds getting married in America greatly disturbs most Indians, but I assure them it's not very acceptable in America either). Having no kids after a year and a half of marriage is really disturbing to Indians, and they speculate that we aren't happy, not having sex, and/or infertile. If you haven't had kids something must be wrong with you, and there is no explaining of it being normal in America.
Most Indians just assume we are rich since we had the money to be here and because we are big people (meaning we have much to eat), and in a sense we are very rich. When we don't buy something we like because of money, most of them are shocked because most Americans who come through their stores have the money to buy anything they like. Of course, there's the other end of the spectrum where several hippies and backpackers come here, but they don't hit up shops. So, I suppose we're somewhere between.
It is taking time to get used to some of the customs. Where we tilt our head to the side or bobble it for uncertainty, it's a "yes" here. Then you never hand or receive something with your left hand, as they don't use toilet paper in India. There is no such thing as cell phone etiquette. Talk as loud as you want. No one here takes initiative. If it's not their job, it won't get done. Need change, but the clerks drawer is out? Too bad, they wouldn't ask a neighboring clerk to hook them up.
We had dinner at our hotel, where we met some fellow Americans and chatted for a bit. Rumors of Rajasthan excite me (we leave for it tomorrow morning). I'm sure to avoid the "bang" lassi (lassi is a delicious yogurt drink, bang refers to hash), but am excited about the blue city of Jodhpur (sp?) and Udaipur.
I believe that those of you who are not Facebook users may access my pictures via this link. Once again, if it doesn't work either get Facebook or simply e-mail me at cowardmATgmailDOTcom (replace the AT and DOT with the appropriate symbols, I cannot post it here for risk of spam). Brittany says I added crappy pictures, and I probably did as I could only view them by the thumb nail and was in a hurry. Still the Beetlenut pictures are priceless. I can't add the Taj pictures just yet, but I will first chance I get. Also, these posts should now be importing to my Facebook Notes.
It’s September now and I’m editing this for spelling and grammar leaving the details and writing style intact. As a vital historical note, I wanted to say that VK wasn't as honest as we would have believed. Even though we were more informed than most tourists, we were still fresh. Anytime an autodriver takes you anywhere, particularly if it is a place he recommends, there's a good chance they are trying to make commission. I'm almost sure VK made commission off of our hotel, and had we bought anything from the sitar, marble, or carpet shops he would have made a decent profit. He recommended a travel place for us and the tickets to Jodhpur turned out to be about $20 or $30 USD more than they should have been. I blamed it on the travel agency, but in retrospect a big bit of that price-gouge must have gone into VK’s pocket. I liked him and am disappointed to think about it.
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